Title
Downtown Design Guidelines and Related Code Amendments - Deliberations
Recommended Action
Move to approve the draft Downtown Design Guidelines and Related Code Amendments and forward to Council for consideration.
Report
Issue:
Whether to approve the draft Downtown Design Guidelines and Related Code Amendments and forward to Council for consideration.
Staff Contact:
Joyce Phillips, Senior Planner, Community Planning and Development, 360.570.3722
Presenter(s):
Not applicable.
Background and Analysis:
Testimony provided at the Public Hearing raised concern about the requirement for building modulation and how such a requirement could impact energy efficiency and therefore further contribute to greenhouse gas emissions.
The Planning Commission asked staff to provide information about the building modulation provisions and what, if any, other actions the City is taking regarding energy efficiency and reducing greenhouse gas emissions.
It is important to note that modulation is not always required. It is one choice from a menu of options to address the building size. Modulation is required on the west side of a few key sites in order to help protect views from specific observation points (see 18.120.440.B.6 and 8 of the draft guidelines for details).
The City updates its building codes every three years, which includes updates to the Washington State Energy Code. These codes will be updated this summer. These amendments include the International Energy Conservation Code and Appendix A, which specifically addresses default heat loss.
The City is also in the process of developing a regional Climate Mitigation Plan with adjacent jurisdictions. The plan should be complete by the end of 2020. In preparation of this regional work, the City amended its greenhouse gas emissions reduction policy in the Comprehensive Plan in 2019.
Neighborhood/Community Interests (if known):
Public participation was an integral part of developing initial draft design ...
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